The Player and His Prize
by InterestingDrama
Summary: When Bella Swan's parents split, her mother takes her with her to Phoenix, Arizona. Tired of Phoenix, Bella returns to Forks. What happens when she meets Edward Cullen, the new kid and player at school? Can they make the relationship word? ExB (In Progress. Will take some time to update since I'm working on The Twilight Games currently.)


**A/N:**** Woot, woot! Another fanfic! Aren't ya'll just grateful? ... Probably not. Lol. Anyways, this is a new ExB fanfiction. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own **_**Twilight.**_

**Note:**** This might be a little OOC and it's AH. I know there will be a little more drama if vampires are included, but I'm too lazy to spend time writing about vampires. **

**Summary:**** When Bella Swan's parents split, her mother takes her with her to Phoenix, Arizona. Tired of Phoenix, Bella returns to Forks. What happens when she meets Edward Cullen, the new kid and player at school? Can they make the relationship word? ExB**

**The Player and His Prize**

**Chapter One - Complications**

I pressed my ears on the door and listened to my parents' conversation. I knew very well I was eavesdropping, but I didn't care. I had to know what it was that kept my parents awake at one o'clock in the morning.

Their conversation was not at all muffled by the closed door. Every word was said clearly. And every word broke my heart. They were yelling.

"Charlie! Stop it!" Renee's voice shouted.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Charlie yelled back. "Do you know how it will affect Bella?"

Renee screamed back, "That's why I'm taking her with me to Arizona! She can still be happy!"

_Happy?_ My heart skipped a beat. _No, not Arizona,_ I thought. I couldn't let her take me to Arizona. Not when my pale skin would be scorned at in the place where tanned models strolled around in the blistering heat. Not when Renee pretty much just broke up with Charlie.

Renee wouldn't care at all, but Charlie would. I knew Charlie for twelve years. Despite the fact that his expression was emotionless most of the time, I knew that deep inside him, he had a heart. A very big one. One that could be broken easily.

Now that Charlie's ladylove had broken his heart, it would never be mended. It might, in time, but I was sure that it would take years before it would be finally repaired.

The shouting had stopped, but the burning in my heart did not cease. Slumping my shoulders, I made my way back upstairs where I could cry myself to sleep and forget about today. Hopefully, the next morning, everything would be okay.

But even I knew it wouldn't.

As I walked down the stairs, sleep still lingering in my eyes, I Renee found and Charlie sitting down, neither of them speaking. They weren't sitting together. In fact, they were situated as far as they possibly could from each other. Last night's conversation popped into my head and I cringed. Of course, they were waiting to talk to me. Of course.

Charlie looked up as soon as I set foot on the last step. "Good morning, Bella."

"Morning, Mom. Dad," I said, trying to keep the sorrow out of my voice. I sounded cheerful enough, thankfully. "What's up?"

"Your father and I have to talk to you," answered Renee, getting straight to the point. "But first, have a seat."

I did as I was told and waited patiently. But even I knew very well what it was about.

Charlie was the next to speak. "Your mother and I haven't been... getting on well."

I noticed they didn't call each other by their names. It was now "your mother" and "your father." It made me all the more nervous.

"We've decided, Bella," continued Renee, "that it would be better if we... separated."

"You... you can't," I said. I already knew what was going on, but it still hurt me immensely.

"Sorry, Bella," said Renee, with a sad smile. "It just wasn't meant to be."

My eyes were on the verge of tears. I should have seen this coming. No day could pass without at least one shouting match between Renee and Charlie. Everyday there was tension between the two. Charlie would come home late at night to keep himself from seeing Renee. Renee would leave early in the morning to avoid Charlie. I should have known. I would have saved myself a lot of anguish.

"And, Bella," Renee carried on, "you are coming with me to Phoenix."

"No." My voice was so soft that I knew she hadn't heard me.

"We'll live normally," said Renee, not knowing I'd already disagreed. "We will be fine."

_Fine?_ _I will _never_ be fine,_ I thought angrily.

Charlie had not voiced his opinion about my going to Phoenix. I knew he was upset about this by the way he hung his head and refused to meet either of our eyes.

"No need to pack much of your stuff, Bella," Renee went on. "We can buy whatever you want when we get there. And we can—"

I tuned her out. She sounded so excited that I didn't have the heart to tell her I didn't want to go. I was acting like a coward, but I had no choice except to go with my erratic mother who couldn't see what my real wish was.

"May I say bye to Alice?" I asked.

My politeness was something new. Even Charlie glanced up at me with a confused look on his face. This was how it was going to be between my mother and me now. We would never be close again, nor would we be far apart. We'd be hanging on the ends, doing our best to not let the other fall apart. My politeness was the beginning of it.

"Alice?" Renee's voice was steady, but her surprised face gave her away. "Alice Brandon?"

Alice Brandon was my best friend since we were little kids. Even though we both liked different things, we got on well together. Both of us couldn't live without the other. And now, we really had to learn how to do that, since I was going away. Far, far away from my father, my best friend, and my birthplace.

"Yes," was all I said.

"Of course, dear," Renee said, nodding slightly.

I jumped up and ran outside all the way up to Alice's house which was about two block away. I got there in exactly five minutes and rang the door bell, wringing my hands nervously. Alice's mother answered the bell and smiled.

"Hello, Bella," she greeted me. "Was there a particular reason you came here so early on a Saturday?"

"Hi, Esme. Is Alice awake?" I asked. I knew the answer. Alice was a morning person. Even the sun couldn't beat her.

"Sure, dear, she's in her room," she said, nodding towards the railing.

"Thanks, Esme," I said, dashing up the stairs and knocking on Alice's bedroom.

"Mom?" called Alice's voice from inside. "I'll let you know when I'm hungry."

"Wrong," I said, my humor reappearing for a moment. "Guess again."

The door flung open and Alice hopped into my arms. Her spiky black hair bounced as her tiny figure squeezed me. "Bella!" She hugged me tightly, then pulled away to grin at me. When she noticed my glum expression, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Yes," I replied, my voice breaking. "I'm going away, Alice."

"What?" she asked, her dark brown eyes widening. "Going where?"

"My parents divorced and my mother wants me to—to come with her."

All my bottled up emotions spilled out. I cried like I never cried before. Alice cried with me and the noise made Esme come upstairs to check on us. When she found out what happened, she wept along with us. It was like a crying party. If my parents did the same thing, I would have secretly left the room. But with Esme and Alice, I felt a strange comfort. I cried some more and before I left, I took a peep at myself to assure that I had no puffy eyes.

Alice made me promise to call her and text her every second of the day. I agreed without hesitating and headed back home.

Renee had four big bags by her side. When she saw me, she gave me a hug and had Charlie drive us to the airport. I hugged my father longer than Renee had. To make him feel better, I whispered, "I love you," and followed Renee inside the airport.

Before I realized it, the plane was lifting off the ground. I stifled a sob and pressed my fingers to the window. I pretended my old life was on the other side of it. On my side was my new life. And it would be pathetic.

As the clouds began to cover my view, I mouthed to the window, "I'll miss you, Forks. I'll miss how happy I was, how happy my parents were, and how happy we were together."

I couldn't see Forks anymore; only clouds crossed the sky now. And I said, with finality ringing in my tone, "I still love you and I'm coming back. Soon."

**A/N:**** So...? How was it? Was it good? Did it give you an idea of what will happen? Did you like it? Do you want more? Should I take this story down? Should I keep it and continue? Huh? HUH? **_**HUH?**_

**Oh yeah, I can't hear you. But I can hear you in the reviews! Leave me some please! *pouts* I can't pull it off like Edward, but you get the idea. Lol.**

**And I will keep writing my other story, The Twilight Games, since I'm really enjoying it. Anyhow, that's it for now. :3**

**~InterestingDrama**

**P.S.:**** Please, oh please, leave a review! Thanks!**


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